England’s most idyllic places to drive a hired sports car

There are few things more exhilarating than driving a hired sports car through England’s greenest hills, highest peaks and most picturesque river valleys, when you turn that corner or crest the next hill only to see the countryside open up in front of you.

If you’re hiring a Lamborghini or Ferrari and need some inspiration as to where to plan your route, here are five of England’s most idyllic locations to open up a hired sports car and really let the engine breathe the clean country air.

1. Atlantic Highway, Cornwall

The A39 Atlantic Highway is reached from Junction 27 of the M5, a 30-mile hop to Barnstaple, followed by nearly 80 miles of fantastic road to reach Newquay and the A30 onwards to Land’s End, if you want to take your hired sports car as far as mainland England will allow.

Some of the best scenery in the UK is found in the far south-west, with green hills dotted with rocky outcrops, densely wooded stages, and eventually the sea views as the route nears the coastline – everything you could ask for while out for a spin in a hired Ferrari or Lamborghini.

2. Cheddar Gorge, Somerset

The B3135 takes you through Cheddar Gorge, with the Mendip Hills to explore if you fancy a longer drive, and all easily reached from Bristol and via the M4 or M5.

Also known as Cliff Road, the B3135 is a drivers’ favourite, flanked by steep rock faces with plenty of run-off zones and parking places, so you can take a break to enjoy the scenery along the way if you wish, or climb through wooded stretches until the landscape plateaus and opens up to breathtaking vistas over the Mendips.

3. Buttertubs Pass, Yorkshire

Moving north to Yorkshire, it’s impossible to single out one part of arguably England’s most scenic county as being the most stunning landscape, but factor in the need for a reliable road surface suited to a hired Lamborghini or Ferrari and Buttertubs Pass is the clear winner.

It’s short, at little over five miles between Thwaite and Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales, but with dry stone walls either side and plenty of rises, dips and meandering corners to navigate, there’s plenty to keep your attention – just be sure to slow down for cattle grids!

4. A470 ‘Cardiff to Conwy’, Wales

Head north from Cardiff or south from Conwy to experience what is widely regarded as the best driving road in Wales, the A470.

It’s 186 miles through the Brecon Beacons if you want to drive the full route coast to coast, and it’s a firm favourite for test drivers and motoring journalists, so you’ll be in good company driving a hired sports car along this arterial but beautiful Welsh pilgrimage.

5. Nairn Circular, Scotland

The Nairn Circular road is our northernmost suggestion and a stone’s throw from Inverness on the Moray Firth.

Bordered by the A96 to the north, the route is open to interpretation, depending on whether you want to stick to the coast, visit nearby Cawdor Castle, incorporate the A9 and A95, or follow the full traditional loop via the A97 with Cock Bridge as the most southerly extreme.